St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-24

udy Ill lDe year. IL nau DeeQ TOLD That
| would see many picturesque costumes,
and in this l was not disappointed.
There was much variety in the caps
| worn by the women. which ranged all
the way from great masses of
Stltfiy -Starched white muslin TO Co
quetiSh little eontriyanceS of dainty
! lace. while most of the
| mems heads were covered with great
black hats, with low crowns and wide
brims falling down on either side of
their faces. After leaving the church,
| hurried back to the town to see the
| fair that is part of the fete. and which
was installed in the principal street.
The vendors OF reiigiuos medals, crosses
| and chapletS did a brisk business.
| There We're few primitive merry-go-
rounds, and not few tents in which
cider was sold by the can, while at
| either side of the tables at which men
were drinking were spread piles of clean
] straw, where tired wives and children
were soundly sleeping. couple of
| gendarmeS who We're slowly walking up
and down told me that they had no
trouble in preserving order but that L
mao better keep sharp lookout for
pickFo tkets, as there were lots of light
fingered fellows around. and already
more than fifty persons had lost their
where had secured bed The land
lady, as she showed me to my room,
| complained of tie bad weather and the
competition of Lourdes.
he next forenoon l took train for
Qulmper. where | found myself among
people who seemed quite as Ignorant as
PatagonlanS. 1t was said of Bretons of
other days that they built false lights
along their dangerous coast so as to lure
| SHIPS on the rocks, and that, instead of
aiding the Shipwrecked vessels. they
murdered the crews and appropriated
the cargoeS. l do not know how much
OF truth there is in such stories, but
these BretonS have certainly remained
III rather savage state.
THE INSTINCT OF RAPACITY
Is still strong in them, and, in town and
country alike, strangers are considered
lawful prey, to be fleeeed to the utmost
limit they will stand. Quimper, pic
turesqueiy situated, is guarded by green
hills. aud IS, perhaps. as rural place
as any on the face of the globe. 1t looks
OLD. and is built of stone that age has
turned to a russell brown color. Most of
the houses have gable ends on the streets,
ana the roofs, seen from distance,
seem to be fairly bristling with me-
diRYal towers. Steeples and turrets,
when, as the day was bright, were re-
Ilecte0 III the strip of clear water that
WlndS III and ont among the hills which
encircle the place. Shut in by stone
quals.. and limpid as crystal. the Odet.
running It's fantastic course toward the
sea, is now sheet of silver, without a
ripple on the transparent face. and now
an agltafed mass of White-creSted waves
struggling with the rising tide. On the
lett bank, i'll the wide, triple avenue
which spreads away from the port, are
many little houses, with white walls
and pretty flower gardens extending
from their doors TO the waters edge.
Here and there are old houses, with
thick. gray stone walls, hid by clinging
IVY, and gable roofs overgrown with
dark green moss, while all along
the river peasant women were
ON their knees washing clothes
IN the running stream. Some
were young, rosy and pretty:
others were old, wrinkled and ugly,
ana all were the picturesque. Quaker
IKE and graceful Breton coStume-a
dark gown, tucked up over a petticoat
OF the same color, with wide sleeves
rolled up to the shoulders, from where a
piece of white linen comes down and
crosses over the bosom to form the cor
sage. The girls go bareheaded, but
married women wear tall pointed caps.
with wide wings on either side, that
give an almost monastic appearance to
faces which, in many instances. are as
pale and emaciated as those seen in
nfteenth centttr:' representations of
saints and martyrs. [ noticed, also.
that the peasant women in the neigh
borhood of Quimper were clean looking
ana had quite distinguished air about
them III the midst of their EVERYDAY
work. and in spite of their large red
hands. with which they rubbed the dirty
clothes, or handled the oars of fishing
boats on the river. Here and there in its
course through Quimper the Odet is
crossed by foot bridges. One of these. that
which starts from the rampant OF the
eYeche, or bishops palace, is all over
grown with ivy, while as for the cathe-
oral close by, it is one of the architec-
tural gems OF part of the world rich in
ecclesiastical structures of all sorts.
which spring up at every turn from amid
relics of an old Celtic religion that here
found its last refuge from pagan and
Christian invaders.
All Brittany peasants are Supersti-
tious and subject to their parish priests.
Proof of this lies i'll the ''pardons. OF
festivals celebrated in honor of some
local saint. and local saints are so nu-
merous i'll Brittany that learned monk
once found enough OF them to write a
VoluminOus book in their honor, filled
with apocryphal details of lives and
miracles. One of the most celebrated
saints Of Brittany is st. Cornely. who
passes as special
PATRON FOR HORNED CATTLE.
His pardon is attended each wear
by peasants from all the villages. and
the ceremony / witnessed was interest
ing. After we had heard mass, a pro-
cession. headed by flies and drums.
marched out of the church. the natives
OF each village forminga separate group
and carrying the pontifical colOrS or the
banner OF their own particular saint.
After the peasants came the clergy,
with lighted taperS and escortlng a calf
that had been offered to the saint by a
rich farmer. Behind the calf walked
two priests carrying reliquary, in
which were the saints bones. Then
came the local authorities, and the gen
eral public brought up the rear. Sing
ing hymns as they went, the procession
marched to a spot where a bonfire and
fireworks were i'll readiness. and which
priest touched off with sacred candle.
These burned out, we marched to the
open square of the town. where several
head OF cattle were being cared for by
serving women. Two priests went
among these animals, muttering words
as they walked, and every now and
then making the sign of the cross on
some beasts body. Pardon thus hay
ing been distributed, the calf that was
i'll our possession was sold at auction.
and brought 1850. Its possession was
stoutly contested for the belief existing
that it will prove a special protection for
the floclls and herds of its purchaser.
The priest also sold ropes which he had
touched to the relics of the saint. These
cords, made into halters, are held to be
sovereign protection from disease for
all cattle fastened with them. Horned
animals have another friend in st. Her